Haute-Marne: the largest floating solar park in France will be built in Perthes
It is in Haute-Marne that the largest French floating solar power plant should see the light of day. The building permit has just been obtained on the site of the former quarries of the Blandin establishments, in Perthes, for commissioning in 2023.
The largest floating solar park in France will see the light of day on the site of a former quarry operated by the Blandin establishments in Perthes in Haute-Marne. The company RES, which specializes in renewable energies, has just announced that it has obtained the building permit for the site.
The future floating power plant will be the largest authorized in France to date with an installed capacity of 65.5 MW. Several islets should be distributed (representing 70 to 80 hectares) over the 127 hectares of this gravel pit operated until 2020 by the Blandin establishments. Enough, according to RES, to supply the equivalent of 26,000 inhabitants with electricity and avoid the release into the atmosphere of around 16,000 tonnes of CO2 each year. Commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2023.
Environmental protection
According to Blandin, the use of its water bodies for the development of renewable energies is excellent news for the future of the quarry and management of its environment. “The proposal of the company RES, namely the use of photovoltaic floating panels, pleased our teams. This solution makes it possible to preserve the fauna and flora that has been established for 40 years. To go further in our approach, an agreement has even been signed with the RES company in order to further protect certain sectors from any industrial activity for the next 30 years. We are very proud of this collaboration, which respects the vision we had for the future of our career,” rejoices Francis Blandin, president of the establishments of the same name.
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A second life for the site
The Union of Quarry and Construction Materials Industries (UNICEM) of the Grand-Est region welcomes excellent news for the local economic fabric. “This type of project makes it possible in particular to maintain economic activity in our territories, while contributing to the development of renewable energies and therefore to the fight against climate change. This development should be encouraged, which will ultimately also provide clean energy for our sites and ensure the production of carbon-free quarry materials,” says Rémy Moroni, president of UNICEM Grand Est.
For RES, the project leader, it is the result of perfect collaboration between the various partners. “This formidable project is the result of a strong collaboration with Etablissements Blandin, which gave us their full confidence from the start of the project in 2019. The permanent and constructive exchanges with the departments of the DDT Haute-Marne and the DREAL Grand- Est have made it possible to obtain authorizations in record time,” says Arnaud Goupil, RES Solar Project Manager.
The renewable energy specialist has already developed a solar park in Normandy (see RES Instagram below).
The project is large-scale and unprecedented for the Grand-Est region and the Haute-Marne department. “This project, the first in the Grand-Est region, is an example of the recovery of old gravel pits to produce solar energy. We have several ongoing partnerships, in particular with Etablissements Blandin, to continue this great adventure” adds Arnaud Goupil.
A project that opens up other horizons
The gravel pits of the Blandin establishments will live a second life. They will be emulated, it is in any case the wish of the RES project leader. “If the Perthes project is the first to come out of the ground. RES is already considering other achievements in the future. This first authorization paves the way for our other projects of the same type. RES is currently developing numerous floating photovoltaic projects, for a portfolio with a capacity of over 200 MW”, adds Céline Spitzhorn, RES Solar Director.
The development of renewable energies and the upgrading of a site operated in the past is good news for the Haut-Marne area.